I ro NOTICES RELATING TO AGRICULTURAI, ECONOMY IN GENERAI, 



sities arising out of present circumstances, a lieutenant's decree of i6 Jan- 

 uary 1917 (no. 76) has provided that the powers of the government to 

 regulate the consumption of food shall be exercised for the duration of the 

 war by a committee composed of the Ministers of Agriculture, of the Interior, 

 of Marine and Railwaj' Transport and of War, and a minister without a 

 portfolio. 



As the organ of this committee of ministers, and dependent on it, a 

 general commissariat for food consumption has been instituted and has the 

 following duties : a) to requisition for the needs of public administrations and 

 the civil population merchandise and if necessary producing establishments, 

 fixing prices and the amount of compensation to be paid for the requisition ; 

 b) to fix the maximum prices at which foods may be sold to the public and 

 see that they are applied ; c) to supply imported and requisitioned mer- 

 chandise to be sold to the public by the mediimi of local public admini- 

 strations ; d) to authorize the eventual constitution of autonomous bodies 

 of consumers (i) ; e) to regulate the sale and consumption of merchanchse 

 of which there is a manifest shortage. 



The general commissariat takes the action necessary to the fulfil- 

 ment of these ends and watches over the execution of all measures tending 

 to regulate the consumption of food. It can issue ordinances for the exe- 

 cution of provisions regarding consumption, and can decide on an}^ measure 

 thus rendered necessary, according to the resolutions of the majority of the 

 aforesaid committee of ministers to which it is directly responsible. Prefects 

 and all local authorities must execute the ordinances and pro\nsions thus 

 issued. Finally the commissariat can act towards the two houses of parlia- 

 ment as a government commissary, in conformity with the statutes of the 

 kingdom. 



3. THE PROTECTION GIVEN BY THE PROVINCE OF FI^ORENCE TO THE ORPHANS 

 OF PEASANTS KII,I,ED DURING THE WAR. — L'Agricoltura Toscana, Florence, 

 No. 4, 28 Febraury 1917. 



Readers of this Review know that last December there was formed in 

 Rome the Opera nazionale per gli orfani dei contadini morti in guerra, which 



(i) The autonomous bodies of consumers are constituted and financed by the local admin- 

 istrations, the co-operative societies, the institutions of credit and individuals, and are destin- 

 ed to exercise a healthy and moderating influence and even to compel private dealers to lower 

 prices. The commissariat of which we have spoken facilitates their task in every way for it 

 hopes to profit by the effect of their action. There are already such bodies in the pro\'iuces 

 of Genoa, Rome, Piacenza, Portomaurizio, Siena, Mantua, Aquila, lyucca, Cosenza, Turin, 

 Ascoli-Piceno, etc., and many others are in course of formation. In order to hasten their legal 

 recognition the government has issued special rules and instructions. By force of the lieute- 

 nant's decree of 11 April 1917, no. 85, the acts of their constitution are exempt from the stamp 

 and registration duties ; and all other acts which thej' may pass after their constitution are 

 subject to the ordinary stamp duties and are registered on payment of the fixed duty of 2.70 

 liias (i lira = 9 ^/g d at par). 



